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Alabama: Black Teen Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for a Murder Committed by Cop

HeadlineApr 16, 2018

In Alabama, an African-American teenager named Lakeith Smith has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of 16-year-old A’Donte Washington—even though it was a police officer who shot and killed the teenager in 2015. Lakeith Smith was tried and convicted under Alabama’s accomplice law, which allows authorities to prosecute people for murder if a death occurs in the midst a felony. He and A’Donte Washington were, along with other teens, allegedly carrying out a burglary when a police officer opened fire and killed A’Donte Washington. A grand jury has cleared the police officer who actually killed the teenager of any responsibility.

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